Welcome to Garden Ministry, where the soil of the mind is broken up, fertilized, and made ready for the toiling of the Holy Spirit.
Garden Ministry’s purpose is to encourage the workers in the field of the Lord, and to keep them looking up to Jesus.
This is the 23rd letter:
Text for the day: Proverbs 17:9
He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends.
Our Theme for the day: love that Conquers Discrimination.
This second son who seemly loved his family was in the right place, at the right time, saying all the right things, but living in the wrong spirit. But the father of the “Prodigal sons”, I call them had something broader in life to live for; he was living from a motive of purpose. This father understood the highest level of love, and that is unconditional love, to love someone regardless of there actions or beliefs. To love those you know can be one of the easiest things to do in life, but the true test of love is to the stranger, the person you don’t really know, or to the person you know will take the blessing give them, and use it on the things of the world. Verse 20 says, “And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him”. This is likened to God’s gift of his son to the world, before man’s belief in that gift, God our heavenly father was there. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. (John 3:16).
When Adam sinned, this brought mankind under the curse of sin, but through the obedience of Jesus we are made free from the curse. “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous”. (Romans 5:19) The second part of the story of these two sons unveils to us the story of love that conquered discrimination. Luke 15:31-32 says, “And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found”.
This elder son is like so many, as soon as they hear of something good going on for someone who was living in sin, and now have come home they get upset. They call or ask questions like, what do these things mean? They get upset when a fatted calf is killed, or some honorary act is being performed for some one beside them. It takes the spirit of the Father to come out, and entreat those with the spirit of discrimination to come in. But to many their answer shows their lack of understanding on their part of what is happening. They would rather go on saying, “these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid” that I might make merry with my friends: (verse 29). As servants of God, let us not become caught up in the Spirit of spiritual discrimination, but let us help to kill it, in the world and the church by love.
Our Prayer for today:
Please join us as we pray for love in all the servants of God, that it will conquer discrimination were ever it finds itself.
Remember, you’re the only Jesus some will ever see.
If you are blessed by these “uplifting gems”, share them.
These letters are written by Elder Kevin Santucci
For further information, comment or requests, E-mail Garden Ministry: gardenministry.